Overall, this legislative session focused heavily on the overall healthcare system in Nevada. It was a priority of the Governor and the Legislature. In fact, the Governor is supposed to call a special session in the next few weeks, and we are hearing that healthcare is one of his main topics for the special session. NSSA was monitoring several different bills and engaged on a few major priority bills. 

 

SB249: Revises provisions relating to CRNSs 

SB249 was a joint interim committee on Commerce and Labor bill that did not get passed out of the Senate Committee. This bill would have authorized CRNAs to order, prescribe, and administer medication without physician supervision. Our team was the leading opposition to this bill and worked closely with the Committee Chair to ensure it did not have the necessary votes to pass out of committee. 

 

SB294: Revises provisions relating to PAs 

SB294 was a bill sponsored by Senator Edgar Flores. This bill was to expand the number of physician assistants that a physician can supervise. The Nevada State Medical Society was the leading opposition to this bill; however, we did help that group with lobbying efforts and public opposition. 

 

AB319: Makes revisions relating to providers of health care. 

Assemblymember Orentlicher sponsored AB319, and it was a very robust bill. Although NSSA did not have any concerns about the bill in the first reprint, an amendment regarding CRNAs was proposed. A rural hospital in Elko, Nevada, lacks an anesthesiologist on staff and struggles to recruit physicians. The hospital requested to expand CRNA independent practice from critical access hospitals to a hospital located in a city with a population of less than 25,000 people. NSSA supported this amendment due to the needs of rural areas, while CNRAs opposed it, hurting their own political standing with their opposition to the amendment. 

 

SB494: Makes revisions relating to Health & Human Services

Creates the Nevada Health Authority (NHA) to take over Medicaid, CHIP, public health insurance, and provider regulation from the renamed Department of Human Services. Establishes NHA divisions for Medicaid, Health Care Purchasing and Compliance, and Consumer Health. Transfers oversight of health programs, licensing, sanitation enforcement, Graduate Medical Education Grants, Public Employees' Benefits, Public Option, Patient Protection Commission, and All-Payer Claims Database to NHA. Revises governance of the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange. Authorizes NHA to purchase prescription drugs for prisons. Requires NHA to implement Medicaid and health care access laws.

 

AB56: Revises provisions relating to the licensing of certain providers of health care.

The bill aims to update and streamline licensing requirements for specific healthcare professionals, addressing gaps in current statutes to improve access, oversight, and efficiency in Nevada's healthcare system. The bill removes some required continuing medical education (CME) courses. It reduces the Board of Osteopathic Medicine's annual CME hours from 35 to 20. It updates some renewal fees for the Board of Medical Examiners and shifts certain licensing renewals from annual to biennial. This bill updates the rules for dual licensees of the Board of Medical Examiners and the Osteopathic Board and adds anesthesiologist assistant renewal fees for the Osteopathic Board. In addition, it allows residents who have completed 24 months in a postgraduate program and have a written commitment to complete it to obtain an Osteopathic license.